Riga, Latvia, 2016 - Jan & Jan-Jan's Rejseklubben

Esplanaden is a spacious park complex in the eastern part of Riga's center. Until 1812, the site was used as a place of exer- cise by Tsarist troops, an area that remained outside the fort of Riga until the mid-1800s, and which consisted mainly of sand dunes. The area was purchased by Riga City Council and was first built after it was found suitable for the construction of an exhibition area on the occasion of the Riga's 700th anniversary in 1901. Up until World War I, the urban area had been surrounded by buildings after the expansion of Rigas eastern suburbs. Here, among other things, the building was erected where the Latvian Academy of Fine Arts today houses, the Latvian National Art Museum and the Birthplace of Christ Cathedral. In the park area, several memorials stand for significant personalities throughout Latvia's history, among others by the author Rainis.